Students stand outside Hyer Hall after the building was briefly evacuated. (PHOTO BY AIDA AHMED / THE DAILY MUSTANG)

By Aida Ahmed
aahmed@smu.edu

Hyer Hall was evacuated Thursday morning after two students in a developmental psychology class passed out in the same classroom.

University officials said the students became ill while watching a medical video, but Dr. Susan Harris says this is not the case. The professor said everyone seemed fine after watching a short clip about prenatal testing.

About 10 minutes later, Harris said, a female student passed out. After the student came to, Harris said she stepped out to call 911, and that’s when a student ran out to tell her that a second student had fainted.

A student in the classroom said the students collapsed within minutes of each other.

“They both passed out, ” said Darragh Mallon, a freshman who was in the class at the time. “The weird thing is that the same thing happened last semester in a class before mine.”

Minutes later the entire building was evacuated and students were moved to the Dallas Hall rotunda. Shortly after noon, students were allowed back in the building.

Police on the scene would not comment. University spokesman Kent Best said the building had been cleared and a gas leak was not to blame.